December 31, 2011

It's a Small World After All People!

So over the last few days I have learned of more and more people enjoying a Paleo lifestyle and surviving:) I just learned of an amazing women in the Bend area. She has helped me understand the medical side of some of my children's troubles. Cassie Kremer and her husband, Jason-the Wellness Doctor, have some really great tips and recipes on their website. I have been working on our menu for the week and several of their recipes have made my list. If you live in the Bend area, be sure to visit them. If you don't, then definitly check out the website for the recipes and other tips!!
http://www.bendwellnessdoctor.com/be-well-recipes-1/

Some food

I thought I would share some of the food we have been eating the last couple days. Keep in mind, I am merely a home cook, so no comments about the lack of perfection! LOL

Sweet potato fries cooked in butter and coconut oil



Turkey leftovers and pork sausage. The "dip" is honey with cayenne (thanks Bethany for the idea) my hubby loved this "dip".



This is delicious. It's steamed califlower that I pureed with a smidge of coconut milk and butter. It's sooooo wonderful!! Our whole family loves it!





The meat of two of our four turkeys. I roasted these and took the meat off the bone to freeze for later use. I shared our turkey story here.






This is what was left of the two turkeys. I am making more stock from them later this week. For now they are stored in the fridge.









This is the turkey stock I made from the two turkeys that are soaking in brine. Looks so yummy and smelled amazing too.






The finished stock. I let these cool completely and put them in the freezer. Stock is great to add to lots of meals. Plus it is my go-to when I want to make soup if any of us are feeling under the weather. Just add whatever veggies you have they may be on their way to being not so edible and poof! a nutritious delicious soup. I love to toss in kale, celery, carrots, ect.






This was breakfast today. I wanted to change up our normal egg breakfast so I got the recipe from Sarah at http://www.everydaypaleo.com/. I didn't put the sausage into them, but we did have links with it. I also added leftover broccoli from a couple nights ago. The kiddos loved their "orange pancakes", as they called them.






This looks so delicious to the eyes. It smelled wonderful too. I put some roasted green and red peppers, celery and some sweet peppers in the pan, added some stock and leftover chicken quarters to warm up. Then I took the chicken out and pureed my "soup", adding some coconut milk to even it out. The verdict, it was awful. It tasted overwhelmingly of green pepper and was extremely bitter. I dumped the soup and the kids at the chicken with some pickles and oranges for lunch instead. I guess every experiment can't be successful, right?!









Happy Paleo Cooking! Happy New Year!! Don't forget that you can choose to eat healthy and not feel guilty about turning down the "holiday" food, because you deserve it!!!

December 30, 2011

Great deals

John and I did some light grocery shopping yesterday. While we were shopping we noticed that the store still had several turkeys left from the holidays at a low price of 58 cents a pound. Now, they weren't organic or even labeled all-natural, but they were MSG and Gluten Free...no extra additives in them.

We snatched up four of them with each costing about $6. Four turkeys for $24 is pretty awesome! We decided to pop them in our deep freezer and use them for meals for the next couple months....when can you ever buy meat so inexpensively??!!

It was a perfect plan...until, I realized we had left them overnight to defrost on top of the chest freezer...we are going to be baking at least two and hopefully smoking 2 - then we will portion the meat and freeze it for later use.

It wasn't a perfect plan....but it will work out regardless :) Go check your grocery stores and stock up!

December 29, 2011

A Good Challenge

Tonight I was just looking through some Paleo Challenge sites and came across this site: Whole9Life. It explains Paleo very blatantly, but it's very good.
Then I cruised over to this one: TheClothesMake the Girl. She is awesome and she has a FREE sample download of her latest book Well Fed. I quickly downloaded my copy and I already want to try several things.
Happy Eating!

December 28, 2011

A New and Fabulous Journey

Like many people we know, John and I have struggled with finding a healthy and easy way to lose weight and keep it off. We have tried some crazy things: the cabbage soup diet when we were first married, the salad only diet, the starvation diet(ugh) and recently we even did the hCg diet. The hCg diet was very difficult. The calories were a mere 500 and the restrictions on the foods you could eat was crazy...don't mix veggies, don't use oils, don't do this don't do that...it was enough to make you go bonkers. But, the results were there, I lost over 24 lbs in 24 days. If you ignored the lack of energy and irritability is caused then it really wasn't so bad...right? The problem was, once I was off the diet, I didn't know what I should or shouldn't eat. I was so hungry by then that I ate more than I probably should have and put the starches and rices back into my diet.

At my best, in a matter of six months I had lost a little more than 30 lbs. I was pretty happy. I could fit into my super skinny jeans-which I had never, ever worn and I like the way I looked. The problem, my husband lost his job and with the circumstances surrounding it, I because something I thought I wasn't ....a stress-eater.

Let's not forget that during all this time, I was mom to four awesome kiddos, housekeeper and a full-time college student...just to name a few. By the end of the summer and nearly eight months from the time the hubby had lost his job, I was back up 35+ lbs. I couldn't even get my skinny jeans past my thighs at that point. It was sickening.
Let me just add in one more minor detail: during those eight months, my husband got a temporary job at a tire shop, he lost 30 lbs in the first month alone...I wanted to strangle him for a)being a man who could lost weight by skipping out on dessert once a week and b)having a job that demanded him to "come running" 12 hours a day for his customers.
In the middle of all of this mayhem, we had fallen off our gluten-free wagon and I was noticing some major changes in our oldest son's health. He complained of headaches and body/bone aches almost daily, he was doing sub par in school and he whined constantly-he is almost 8 years old.

I started doing research and decided, after realizing this was my fault and sobbing for an hour, that is was time to eliminate the gluten from the kids diet.
Two weeks into our return to a GF house, and my son is staring at my husband's large hunk of sourdough bread and butter at the dinner table and declares, "It's not really fair that you and mom get to eat that wheat bread in front of us all the time." Crap.

He was totally right. How fair was it that we could wave our crusty, buttery bread in front of their faces every meal? I felt horrible. John and I talked to our son and then talked later and ultimately decided he was right. Besides, what would it hurt for us to go GF too? It could only help us feel better too, right?
Well, that was only the beginning of things. I sent out a Facebook request to all my GF friends for some ideas for some new recipes I could try.
The response was awesome. I started looking into them and one friend had sent me a link to Everyday Paleo, by Sarah Fragoso. The first thing I thought was, holy cow, that woman is obsessed with herself, she is totally ripped! I ignored the details and moved on.

But for about two weeks after that the word Paleo kept popping in my brain. I wanted to know what this Paleo was...how did it work? Did it work? So I read a lot of blogs and information over the next few weeks. Then I decided, ok, I need to hear from a real person if this is really going to work. So, once again, I put it out there on Facebook.

I was amazed! There were people I knew who had all positive things to say about it. Then I got connected with an amazing woman, Bethany, who shared her story with me. I was blown away with how at peace I was about this potential change.

I shared my findings with John and we prayed about what we should do. I know that may sound crazy to some people, but God is the only way we do things around here. He makes all things possible, so if we were going to be successful at this, it was going to be because it was His will for us.

Ultimately, John and I decided that we needed to at least try this Paleo thing for ourselves. I got some very good starting pointers and encouragement from Bethany and we were off!

The first thing I did was pray over my kitchen and then clean out anything and everything that was not on the list of Paleo-approved foods. This was one of the scariest things I have ever done. We are not in a great place financially right now, it has been very uncomfortable lately, but God has continued to provide. I took three large boxes of pantry foods down to the church that day and gave them to the homeless ministry.

When I came home I opened the cupboard and wanted to cry. There were a couple of cans of organic tomatoes and some dried fruit and nuts....that's it. Then I opened my refrigerator, there were a few apples, oranges and some pickles...maybe a condiment or two. I looked at John and we nervously laughed about our cupboards being bare, but inside I wanted to bawl my eyes out. We hadn't even really started and I was already scared to death!

I sucked it up and looked for a list of groceries on the Paleo Diet Lifestyle site and we went to the store together. Once all the fresh fruit and veggies were in the fridge and the nuts and few canned things were on the shelves I felt better. Now to cook...what to cook?

I used the same website for some meal ideas as well as PaleoParents for more good ideas(this one is great for ideas for the kids too). The first week was difficult, but once we got past our cravings for wheat and dairy, ect, we were fine. Plus, the end of the first week I got a phone call from our son's teacher praising him and how well he had done learning a new math concept in class that day. I was so excited, but I found myself thinking-could this be a coincidence? John was claiming it a victory and so I decided to as well...God is the miracle worker, right?!!

By the second week I was wearing jeans I hadn't worn in months, sleeping better than I had in months and just feeling better all around. Our youngest daughter has always had dark circles under her eyes and they had begun to fade too. We have all been doing so well and I attribute it to God's wisdom and leading us to Paleo!

I am looking forward to sharing more and more about this journey. I am not going to make a new blog right now for it. I think I will share our journey through the holidays and Paleo next...it can be done people!

December 6, 2011

My hero



If anyone knows my husband, they know that he is one of the nicest, kindest, gracious men on the planet. I am amazed daily with his commitment to God, family and friends. He is always takes the extra step to do what is right, honest and good. I am so proud to live my life with him, raising our children and being the each other's best friend. I love you John and I am so glad you chose me to be with you forever. XOXOXO

September 28, 2011

Our madness continues...we are still here, still going to school, still playing, still laughing, still loving our wonderful life! The kids are experiencing all that is new and wonderful about school and new friends. I am drowning in homework and the first week of classes isn't even over yet. But in all of this I know one clear, perfect, amazing thing....God knows. He loves. He lives. He is our rock every second. So we keep moving forward....and thanking Him every second of the way.

September 3, 2011

It's the first day!


Jeremiah and Alison started school on Monday. They are both attending Helix Grade School. Jeremiah is in Mrs. Curtiss' second grade class and Alison is in Mrs. Hansell's Kindergarten class(all day). They were both very excited and have had a great week! Alison had to miss class on Wednesday because she developed an ear infection, but she is doing great now.  











  







August 21, 2011

Staycations, hardwork and honor...

It has been a busy summer! Although we haven't gone on any "vacations" we have enjoyed being home this summer. John and I are the first to admit that summer is our least favorite season and we can hardly wait for it to be over. Fall is right around the corner....yay!
John continues to work hard at LS, but it is certainly been difficult for him to continue to go to a job that his heart in not in. He injured himself at work shortly after starting there and now is waiting to have surgery. He has been working on getting all the worker's comp stuff figured out which has added to the stress of everything. Along with the current situation, he is still trying to be patient while we continue to wait for an answer to his appeal with the tribe. I don't think either of us thought fighting for he integrity and character would be this hard, long and trying. God is so good and has continued to carry us through these times! We appreciate the continued prayers through both of these processes.
On to the the great news....after 11 years (since my first attempt) and many hours of study, I officially passed my National Registry for Emergency Medical Technician! I am an EMT-Basic :) If that wasn't hard enough, I have already registered for another full-time schedule at BMCC this fall. I will be switching from pre-nursing prerequisites to EMS Certificate focus. I have several EMS classes and in the winter term I will be taking the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician course...just so I can one-up what I just did! LOL God is faithful and so far I have received a full ride thanks to the Federal Pell Grant. It's so awesome!
The kids are excited for school as well...although I think John and I are more excited for them to go to school! Jeremiah will be in Second grade and Alison will be in all day Kindergarten - both at Helix. Hosanna is going to do another year at Three R's School in Pendleton. It's a great Christian-based school that focuses on the Montessori style teaching. Alison and Hosanna both did amazing last year and Alison was reading by January...so I am hoping Hosanna will shine this year. Judah will be going to daycare just a few hours a week when I have class...we are praying for the right person and a good price!
September is coming and that means two things...it's going to be a year to remember those who lost their lives on 9/11....which also happens to be my birthday! It is a bittersweet day for me. I am so proud to have been serving in our local fire department that day and having a day that is usually so joyful for me be so reverent. God definitely has plans for each of us and I am so thankful for that! I am looking forward to focusing the attention on Him that day as well as remembering and honoring all the men and women who lost and gave their lives that day. It will be a 30th birthday to remember for sure!

July 14, 2011

Sweet little angels

So this weekend we had an opportunity to visit with all of John's family at the farm in Acme, WA. We hadn't seen his brother Josh and his wife Meghan (and kids) for two years as they have been in Spain. While they were gone, they got pregnant with their third baby and sweet Gabrielle turned 1 only weeks after they were in the States. Not only that but John's other brother, Dan and his wife Elizabeth had their second baby in March and we had not met sweet Shelby yet either. I was very anxious to meet my nieces...as we all know I get a little baby crazy! lol The weekend did not disappoint, I had my fill of baby goodness!








The kids had so much fun running and playing with all the cousins...there are 13 in total. Jeremiah and his cousin Zach(Josh and Meg's) were practically inseparable. Alison and Hosanna were in heaven with all their older girl cousins as well. All of us agreed that it was one of the most memorable and fun family weekends we have ever had!

John's parents will be heading over to Spain shortly after Josh and Meghan return and most likely be making it a long-term situation. So having this family time before everyone heads out was very important.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family that loves the Lord!

July 1, 2011

Shenanigans




Oh sure...he is cute, adorable, sweet, funny...he's two! How much trouble could he possibly get himself into??? Oh let me tell you!! This week alone he has managed to do the following:


  • used John's deodorant...on his entire face and arms

  • used the Aloe, in his hair and in his arms together with my body spray


  • dunked randoms toys in the toilet

  • tried to use dark purple nail polish as lip gloss...3 times

  • dumped said nail polish on the hall carpet....and managed to eat a little


  • used the fire extinguisher in the kitchen...on the kitchen stove, as well as the rest of the kitchen

  • at 5 cocoa-coffee cupcakes in a matter of seconds(with a small amount of help from his sister)


  • broke a candle holder on the back patio

  • ate the sour cream directly from the container in the fridge


  • after extinguisher mess was cleaned up, used the moment I was on the phone to re-mop the floors for my...aka...flooded the dining room

  • used half a bottle of new body wash to clean Dora in the bathtub


  • ate a Popsicle that has been in the "yucky" freezer since last summer (the "yucky" freezer is where we keep the training birds for Bentley)

  • sprayed the Goof Off Gel all over the entire kitchen floor two minutes before we were leaving for church


  • smashed numerous Cheese Nips into the carpet and couch

  • repeatedly jumping from his dresser to his crib, breaking the weld on the crib


  • repeatedly jumping from his dresser to the pack in play...not broken yet

  • telling mommy she is a princess almost every day


  • kissing mommy and daddy's faces each night

  • giving the best hugs ever


  • being a loving, helpful son-brother-friend

May 24, 2011

Fun Easter pic



Needless to say, the blog has not been on my list of priorities lately. We still continue to pray and seek God for where and what he has for us. We are waiting for the results of John's judicial review regarding the loss of his job at the tribe. We are thankful that he was able to get a job at Les Schwab right away, although it is less than half the salary he used to make. We continue to trust that God will continue to provide and see us through this hard time of our lives. We are preparing to sell our house-hopefully soon-this summer. We feel confident that God desires us to declutter our lives, our homes and prepare our family for change. More specifically, we are pretty sure this includes moving....out of this house within the community, in another city, another state and quite possibly another country....right now our focus is on the first step of decluttering our lives and finances. This is scary and exciting all at the same time. We covet your prayers!
It has been very hard for me. John is working what seems like more hours, for less pay and its extremely physical work so he is beat when he gets home. This means that not only do I have my usual mom/wife things to do each day, but now I have tackled many of our household update/remodel projects. Let's not forget to add the college class and church obligations into the mix! It's been very stressful and taxing. I have been cutting back on many of my outside activities merely because I can't do it all.
On other news, the kids are doing wonderfully. The girls will be done with preschool this week and Jeremiah will be done with First Grade next week. Judah has been potty training and has done beautifully. He is completely out of diapers and his only accidents are when he has to poop...it seems it's better for him to stand next to the toilet to poop rather than sit on the toilet! Oh well! He will figure it out sooner or later. Jeremiah is loving Little League and he is doing really well. I just got Alison signed up for Whiffle ball for the month of June and she is so excited.
Well...we shall see how long it takes me to update the blog next....and what exciting things will have happened!

March 19, 2011

Craziness...the weeks and months have been flying by! God is ever-so faithful and we are so blessed. The kids and I are on spring break and we are enjoying the time off. We have been going through a lot of changes in our family...we just ask for continued prayer over us and the path God has for us!

January 31, 2011

Really....two months???

I just reallized it's been nearly two months since the last blog! Crazy!!

Things are good in the Thorndike household. We made it through our birthday months and the holidays....December and January are brutal for us with 3 of the four kiddos birthdays and the holidays. We also had a visit from John's family over the new year which was a lot of fun. I've been in school as well so there is no shortage of things to do around here.

As always, I made at least two of the kids birthday cakes and Alison had a turn at getting a store bought one(thank you Nana and Papa). Most of the time they come up with some great ideas for their cakes and so it's up to me to try to make them happen! Alison wanted a Strawberry Shortcake theme so that's what she chose. Jeremiah is really into his newest movie How to Train Your Dragon, so I made him a fire-breathing dragon cake....it turned out pretty good! Judah has a few favorites right now, but he is really loving Mickey Mouse, so I made his as well and it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.
We are so blessed to have such great kids!